Locked up in solitary confinement, the footsteps of an approaching prison guard remind a young woman of the comforts and familiarity of home.

for soprano, harp, viola, and Persian daf (frame drum)
Music by Julia Adolphe

WORLD PREMIERE
Saousan Jarjour, soprano; Liza Wallace, harp; Suzy Eun Won Lee, viola; Steven Logan, daf
April 17, 2016, Los Angeles, CA

Footsteps
Text by Nahal Navidar

Rain falls pitter-patter
In my hometown
Mama, Mama’s footsteps soft
Like warm winter slippers

Moss and earth and leaves
Billows of soft, white cotton
Dance around my open window

The wooden floorboard creaks
Fire crackling
Soot soothing my senses to sleep
Father’s footsteps carry the weight of history
Pacing, pacing, book in hand
The creak creak creak of my house
Tells me the same familiar story

Footsteps pitter-patter
Across the floorboards

To learn about solitary confinement and modern slavery in the form of U.S. mass incarceration, follow Solitary Watch and Prison Legal News.